


Holding On

by pixiedustatsundown



Series: Sapphic September 2019 [27]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, F/F, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, Obsession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 10:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20795417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiedustatsundown/pseuds/pixiedustatsundown
Summary: Hermione didn't use to believe in ghosts, until Luna died.





	Holding On

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the prompt "Let go of me!" by [OTPshipper98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPshipper98)

Hermione didn't use to believe in ghosts. She used to scoff at fortune-tellers and roll her eyes at so called ‘hauntings’, could spent hours explaining the science behind what weak minded fools consider supernatural or even magical. 

Luna had always laughed at Hermione's impatience for people's stupidity, had teased her and told her that t_here are more things between heaven and earth than science can even capture, let alone explain_. And Hermione would tell her how she is wrong and would one day come to see the truth. They could argue about it for hours, more fond than actually trying to convince the other, bickering like an old married couple. 

But before they could actually reach that point, before they had a chance to spend a lifetime together and become wise old women sitting on their veranda enjoying the sun on their faces, some bastard decided that driving drunk would be a _wonderful_ idea. And her lovely Luna had to pay the price for it. Luna died, was ripped out of her life far too soon and while Hermione was still grieving, she appeared to say goodbye. 

Hermione didn't use to believe in ghosts, until Luna died.

* * *

The candles flicker, casting shadows over the floor and leaking wax. Hermione doesn’t pay attention to them, they were useless, utterly useless. The book was unclear on what exactly was supposed to happen to indicate success, but the fact that Luna is still sitting here, still shimmering and caught somewhere between alive and dead means that it didn't work. Nothing more than yet another failed attempt. 

At least Luna is still safely tethered to this world, held here by Hermione and the very first ritual she tried to bring her back. It worked only partially and is still the most successful one, ensuring Luna can’t slip her grasp and pass over without her consent like she has threatened to do countless times. She doesn’t _understand_, doesn’t see that Hermione can’t live without her, that she _needs _to find a way to keep her. 

Hermione can feel it, she is getting closer and closer with every false ritual, every disappointed hope - it won’t be long before they are reunited again.

“Hermione please, this isn't how it works. You are wasting away, you can’t spend the rest of your life trying to bring me back. It won't be worth the price.” Her head snaps up at that, looking directly at Luna again for the first time in far too long. She can't bear the sight of her so close and yet unreachable, a constant reminder of how Hermione failed her. 

But Luna _knows_ something, has the answer Hermione is looking for. So far Luna only told her to drop it, begged her to mourn and move on, warned her of some unnamed but terrible fate. As if that would discourage her. She will do whatever necessary to get her back. 

“Let go of me, before it's too late.” Hermione didn't think Luna could sound this scared, hates that there is nothing she can do to comfort her. If she wasn't determined before this is the moment she falls. 

She will hold Luna in her arms again, will sooth her and protect her, will nothing let her hurt her ever again. 

It’s only a matter of time now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!  
If you liked this story you can [reblog it on Tumblr](https://pixiedustatsundown.tumblr.com/post/187986522798/holding-on)


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